Michelle Murphy was only 17 years old when she was accused of the grisly murder of her 15-week-old son. The infant was nearly decapitated, and after investigators grilled the teen mother, she admitted that she accidentally stabbed him as she was holding a knife.
Later, Murphy said that she made up her confession because she was tired, confused, and just wanted the questioning to stop.
Although her defense team argued that a teenage neighbor with a history of violence was likely the baby's killer, the prosecution relentlessly painted Murphy as the murderer of her infant son. She was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Murphy appealed the conviction on grounds of evidentiary errors. The appeal claimed that a judge erred in refusing to allow the admission of Murphy's polygraph results and in excluding evidence about the young neighbor's propensity for violence. That neighbor, William Lee, testified at Murphy's preliminary hearing that he saw Murphy carrying the baby shortly before the baby's body was found, but the 15-year-old died of accidental asphyxiation before the case went to trial. In 1997, the appeals court affirmed Murphy's conviction and she remained in prison.
The Innocence Project, an organization dedicated to exonerating the wrongfully convicted, got involved in Murphy's case. In 1995, when Murphy was convicted, Oklahoma was unable to test certain blood samples from the scene, citing insufficient quantity. In more recent years, with greater advances in technology, the samples were tested again. DNA tests showed two different types of blood at the scene. However, Murphy was convicted based in part on evidence that all blood samples belonged to the victim.
The tests showed the presence of Type AB blood at the scene; neither Murphy nor her baby have Type AB blood.
Earlier this year, when attorneys for the Innocence Project joined Murphy's legal team, a judge vacated Murphy's conviction because of the new evidence previously unavailable at Murphy's trial. After nearly 20 years in prison--more than half of her life, Michelle Murphy was released from prison. However, the battle was not over. Her attorneys prepared for a new trial.
On Friday, the 20th anniversary of her son's death, Murphy entered the Tulsa County courthouse expecting an evidentiary hearing. Instead, she found that the district attorney had filed a motion to dismiss the murder charge.
Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris stated in the motion, "The law, the facts, the evidence and the witnesses, as they exist at the present time, as well as the passing of 20 years creates a set of circumstances where the State of Oklahoma does not believe that it can meet its burden of proof at a jury trial of 'beyond a reasonable doubt.'"
The dismissal of the charge was enough to give Murphy relief, but what District Judge William Kellough said next was an immeasurable victory and vindication for Murphy: "This court finds you, Miss Murphy, innocent."
